Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-07

bound express to pass. After the
passenger train had gone, the con-
ductor, being without special or
ders, exercised his own judgment,
and determined that inasmuch as
he had half an hour to make the
switch at Republic, a little less than
five miles distant, before the arr.
val of the fast express from the
East, due at that point at two
o'clock, he pulled out. The night
was bitter cold, and much difficult
ty was experienced in keeping mp
steam in the engine. Finally, at a
point half a mile west Of Republic,
the train came to "A standstill, being
unable to move further. just here
was made the horrible mistake
which resulted in the loss of many
lives and the destruction of thou
sands Of dollars worth Of property.
Although the conductor must have
known that he was encroaching
dangerously near the time of the
express, he did not send out the
signal until after his train had
come to a standstill, and he found
it impossible to move further. lie
then started forward with the Ian
tern himself At this point there
is a sharp curve, and Conductor
Fletcher had not proceeded more
than the length OF twenty cars
when he saw the headlight of the
approaching express rounding the
curve not more than forty rods dis
tant, and running at the lightning
speed OF sixty.three miles per hour.
Horror stricken with the knowledge
that a frightful accident could not
he averted, he flashed his light in
the face of the engineer, Lem East
man. The latter at the same mo-
ment saw the light of the freight
engine, and, giving a wild shrek
of the whistle for brakes, he re.
versed his engine and jumped for
his life, crashing through the win.
dow of the cab, carrying glass and
sash with him, and alighted in a
heavy snOwdrift. He escaped Sc.
rious injury, his hurts being con.
fined to slight wound upon the
knee. AS he realized his danger,
he called 20 his fireman, William
I'redericks, to save himself. The
latter was engaged in stoking the
fire, and raised up a moment and
hesitated to glance forward, as if
to estimate the danger. This was
fatal, as at that instant the crash
came, and poor Fredcricks was
pinned and crushed by the mass of
the wreck.
CINCINNATI, January 4.-The cor
oner has taken charge OF the dead.
The Commercial correspondence gives
seventeen as the number who were
killed, and says that ont Of fifteen
passengers in the smoker but one
escaped.
NINE BODIES TAKEN OUT.
Nine shapeless trunks of human
beings were stretched out in n row,
like so many charred logs. There
were POstlethwaite and the two
sons side by side and seven others,
none of whom could be recOnlzed,
and near them a mass of flesh and
bones that may have been parts of
the bodies of a dozen different peo
Pile. At the depot was found VIM.
+. Smith, of WaynesborOugh, Pa,
who was a passenger in the coach
next to the sIeepers. He was sitting
in the front part of the car, and
when the collision occurred he was
thrown violently against the front
door of the car, but was notiniured
in the least. He said he did not
think there had been a collision,
but that the train bad run off the
track. lie helped the ladies in the
car to gather up their wraps, and
said when he went back to his seat
TO get his hat he noticed the smoker
in flames, and saw an emigrant
jump from the car through the roof
and wall of flames. He said no
one in the coach was hurt seriously.
One man had his hand burned
slightly by falling against the
stove. After getting ont of the car
he helped to uncouple the two
sleepers and push them down the
track, so they would not be burned.
He then picked up the Postleth
wait little girl, who was wandering
around in the snow, and carried
her to the depot at Republic.
There were no doubt many more
persisted in the wreck, as the mum.
Der Of persons who escaped and the
remains recovered are not equal to
the number reported in the car
The number actually lost may never
be known.
WAS THE FREIGHT ENGINEER
DRUNK?
CHICAGO, January A special
from Tflin, Ohio, says: Conduc.
tor Fletcher says that the engineer
IF the freight was drunk. His
name is Kyler, and he is now at
Chicago Junction. Conductor Has
kell, of the passenger train, was in
the sleeper, and ran forward in
time to receive some papers from
The dying men, Ballard and Parks. !
The piles of ashes and debris now |
to be seen at the place of the col.
lisiOn are tnll of bones, remains of
jewelry aud melted silver money. |
Ten of the killed are utterly un.
known. An old gentleman named |
Ferguson, OF BlOomdale, left Pitts
burg on the express, and has not
since been heard from. His son
was tonight looking among the
burned masses and ashes to find
something by which to identify one
Of the black Jumps as his fathers.
The coroner Of Seneca county has
not yet begun regular examina-
ton of witnesses.
The blame seems to be with the
crew of the freight train. At least
fifteen were killed, but the only
names known are James Postleth.
waite and two sons. Spencer and
Henry, of Bolton, w. Va. NJ. II.
Parks, OF Washington, ID. c.; Mr..
Frederick, fireman of the passenger;
Mr.. Pierce, express messenger, and
a Mr.. Ballard, from some town in
New York state. Mr.. Ballard, like
Mr.. Parks, of Washington, threw
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